*SOLD* Springfield Armory SAR-48 7.62mm NATO Black 19" *AMAZING SPRINGFIELD FAL*

Door closed, Springfield Armory smelled the opportunity to open a window and did as much with the SAR-48. Brazilian made by FN-licensed Indústria de Material Bélico do Brasil (IMBEL), the 7.61x51mm NATO rifle was as true to the original as if it rolled off a Belgian assembly line. Piston, grips, stock, the whole shebang was authentic, built to FN specs and overseen by the legendary gunmaker’s officials. In short—sans select-fire—it was a FAL.

Mystique aside, the attraction to the FAL—thus the SAR-48—was its tried-and-true design, born from the mind of John M. Browning protégé Dieudonné Saive. A staple of nearly all NATO countries outside of The United States for the better part of the mid-20th Century, the FAL proved itself in nearly every climate across the globe. It was temperamental in deserts, where it was reported to have jamming issues, otherwise, the design was rugged and reliable—the same traits endearing the SAR-48 to American shooters. Much of what made the rifle tick like a clock was its gas-operated short-stroke piston and tilting breechblock, which facilitated smooth and nearly unfailing cycling.
 

Variety the spice of life, Springfield Armory offered several variations of the SAR-48 between 1985 and 1989: 21-inch barreled Standard Model, 18.5-inch barreled Brush Rifle, 18- and 21-inch Paratrooper rifles and 19-inch Heavy Barrel “Israeli” Match model. A few notables on the variations. The Paratrooper rifle featured a folding stock, in turn, its recoil spring is mounted in the top cover of the receiver. The Heavy Barrel SAR-48 was hung with the moniker “Israeli” for obvious reasons, it was constructed with Israeli military parts mated to an IMBEL receiver.

The “Assault Weapons Ban” of 1994 also hit the SAR-48, but Springfield Armory responded in kind with the SAR-4800. Essentially the same rifle, it was clunked up with a thumbhole stock.